Review of Visitor Parking Requirements for New Development

Staff will work with applicants to ensure they have fully considered the need for visitor parking in their developments and considered the local context. Requests for reductions in the visitor parking supply will only be supported in extraordinary cases where the applicant has clearly demonstrated that the demand for visitor trips can be accommodated without creating other issues. In addition, staff will monitor the impacts of the new parking standards on the amount of visitor parking proposed in new development and report to City Council in Q1 2024 with an assessment of the provision of visitor parking in recent development applications and any proposed amendments to the Zoning By-law that may be warranted. Staff will also explore measures to mitigate parking challenges in areas with limited visitor parking. This report responds to City Council direction for staff to review the approach to minimum requirements for visitor parking in new developments in different contexts within the City and in the different policy areas established in the revised Zoning By-law requirements (Zoning By-law 89-2022). Upon further review, staff are of the opinion that the minimum requirements for visitor parking that City Council adopted in December 2021 are appropriate given the data available and analysis undertaken to date and will be sufficient to meet the minimum needs of the development while being flexible enough to allow for a market-driven approach to parking provision that aligns with City policy objectives. Staff will work with applicants to ensure they have fully considered the need for visitor parking in their developments and considered the local context. Requests for reductions in the visitor parking supply will only be supported in extraordinary cases where the applicant has clearly demonstrated that the demand for visitor trips can be accommodated without creating other issues. In addition, staff will monitor the impacts of the new parking standards on the amount of visitor parking proposed in new development and report to City Council in Q1 2024 with an assessment of the provision of visitor parking in recent development applications and any proposed amendments to the Zoning By-law that may be warranted. Staff will also explore measures to mitigate parking challenges in areas with limited visitor parking.

3. Planning and Housing Committee request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in collaboration with the General Manager, Transportation Services Division and the Toronto Parking Authority, to explore measures to mitigate parking challenges in areas with limited visitor parking.